The Washington critic., 1887-05-05
the CALrroRNra PIONEERS.
Earllst Gold Discoveries in the vi
Dnrnhn nI the EnnIllr

Earllst Gold Discoveries in the III
Dorado of the Pacific.
A lump Of gold was, in February, ISIS,
picked up In an excavation made for mill
rnce at Coloma, California. Three months
later Mexico having cedcd California to
the United States, a number OF persons
were already engaged in searching for the
precious metal, the first adventures coming
principally from the adjacent country, from
Mexico aud from the Sandwich Islands.
Those, says the Baltimore ,Stui, were the
days of slow transit by sea and ashore, and
1t took a long time for news OF the discovery
TO reach the Atlantic coast. Then, as now,
always on the alert for news, the SIN pub.
lisbtd an authentic account OF the great
find" which put the country In commo.
tion. Baltimore, at that time the point OF
departure and arrival for vessels engaged
in trade with points on the Pacific Coast
and the Gulf Of Mexico, and a great start
ing point also for overland expeditions to
the West, was to the most of the country
the centre for news from the far West, aud
accordingly, when the SIM gave the details
Of the discovery OF a veritablc Ell Dorado
In our newly-acquired territory, on septem.
Der ~, 1875 1t was extensively copied
throughout the world, and contributed
largely to the famous rush in the spring of
lSi9. The article referred to was as fol-
lows:
"An immense bed OF gold, one hundred
miles In extent, has been discovered In
California, on American Fork and Feather
Rivers, tributaries OF the Sacramento, near
Monterey. Mr.. Cotton, the alcalde OF
Monterey, states that the gold is found in
the sands in grains resembling squirrel shot
flattened out. Some grains weigh an ounce
each. 1t Is got by washing out the sand 10
any vessel, from tea saucer to warming
pan. A single person can gather an ounce
or two day, and some even hundred
dollars worth. Two thousand whites and
as many Indians are on the ground. All
the American settlements are deserted and
farming nearly suspended. The women
only remain In the settlements. Sailors aud
captains desert the ships to 20 to the gold
region, AID lahoIefs refuse ten dollars day
to work ON the farms. Mr.. Cotton says:
'One man, who resides next door To m-,
gathered five hundred dollars worth In six
days. He has one lump which weighs over
an ounce. A trough such as you feed
pigs in will bring in the gold region
ilfiy dollars. Put piece OF sheet
II will bring hundred. My friend,
j. r., paid SIG for a little basket to wash
out the gold in More than twenty thou.
sand dollars worth have been collected.
Governor Mason and his aid had gone to
the district, which Is five days Journey
from Monterey. The natives have gone for
gold, the sailors have run from the ships
ami the soldiers from their camps for the
same purpose. The last vessel that left the
coast was Obliged to ship an entire new
crew and pay each $50 month. No one
can be hired to dig gold short OF slG or $40
day; he prefers working on his own hook
| lie may make less than that, but he has a
chance Of making much more. There -four
| is worth S32 per barrel; 10 pounds Of Boston
crackers, In tin boxes, $40 box; cotton
shirt, $40; boards, $500 per 100 feet A car
| penter can get $50 per day. Mr.. l.. paid
| for common cradle trough, l2 feet by 3
wide, to wash gold earth in, $50, less than
| days work to make It,.
AT the date OF this publication ''morc than
ssO,CC0 worth" OF gold had been collected.
This was thought great result. According
to the last census, however, the gold pro.
duct OF California alone, excluding the ad-
| jacent country, whose development was
largely the work OF the energetic forty
miners, aggregated, up to 1850, as much as
| $1,000, 900, not to mention her produc-
tion OF silver, mercury, copper, borax,
wheat, wine and luscious fruits.
To the forty-niners belongs the credit Of
having advanced by hundred years, per
haps, the settlement Of all that part Of the
United States West OF the Tooth meridian.